how do you jack up a house??

/ how do you jack up a house?? #1  

BWS

Silver Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2002
Messages
204
Location
seattle area
Tractor
kubota l3830 hst/723 fel
we have an old farmhouse about 1120 sqft and are getting qoutes from contractors for foundations around 20k$$ the thing is i,m not so sure about my job at boeing so i am thinking of doing it myself with some bottle jacks.from what i can see some of the beams are rotten and i notice some funny things like posts sitting on big rocks.the inside floors not too bad for being level but i do think the back of the house slopes down about 5-6".some of the house has some concrete foundation so i dont know how a person would jack it up where there is already concrete?does anybody have any experiance with foundations??bws
 
/ how do you jack up a house?? #2  
First, you buy a sufficient number of I beams to support the house while it is sitting on nothing but the I beams. Also, buy sufficient cribbing timber and jacks.
Then, you slide the beams into place under the house, this usually involves digging trenches.
Then, you bring all the beams up into place, and weld or bolt them together with other beams outside of the house.
Then, you build foundations for all jacking positions, and install the jacks into place, screw jacks, not hydraulic.
Then, you bring up all jacks to strain on the frame.
Then, you sever all sewer and water connections, as well as electrical connections that might hang the lift up.
Then, with at least 2 helpers, who know what they are doing, you begin taking the jacks up equally, so the walls don't crack.
As the lifting beams rise, make sure to keep them cribbed, just in case of jack failure.
Double check to make sure the house is free of all hangups, you will have missed at least one.
Initial lifting should bring the house up to level, before any elevating is done.
Jack the house to sufficient height, and crib in place.
Begin foundation work and complete.
Reverse process to let house down onto new foundation.
If you're lucky, nothing broke off, cracked, or collapsed.
The BIBLE on the subject of house lifting and hauling was written by Gene Tuxill, after he got tired of making insurance companys rich and quit moving houses.
If you have about $50,000 you can substitute air bags for the jacks, and eliminate one of the helpers.
 
/ how do you jack up a house?? #3  
BWS
Look for a professional. Raising a house is dangerous!
I have helped to do it, it is not a DIY job.
Solo
 
/ how do you jack up a house?? #4  
Do an estimate of what it costs to do yourself, compare it to the contractors price, factor in your own " whoops" factor, have several beer and the next day call the contractor of choice.

Egon
 
/ how do you jack up a house?? #5  
whew boy, I've seen this type of thing in person and on several building shows (ie) This Old House.. In fact on TOH, they did a home in Florida with an all hydraulic system.. Still, it took tremendous planning, skill, and quite the number of workers to get it done. I go with the others and say find a real professional in this field..
 
/ how do you jack up a house?? #7  
BWS: Why jack the whole thing up? You said there is already some concrete footings/foundation. Unless the whole thing (floor beams) is totally rotted out (in which case the floor is probably REAL saggy and bouncy) leave it where it is and dig out short sections and pour your new foundation in sections (yeah, I know that's not the best, but from your description it's not Fallingwater or something). Install helper beams beside the rotted areas. Why worry about a slope to the rear (I was going to say that's good since when it rains through the roof the water will run out the back-but that's kinda nasty). In any event, all the info on raising/moving a house in this threat is very, very good. But why not attack it from the other end-unless the thing is falling down, in which case why save it. Also, no one has mentioned that the weight of the thing is relevant-I suspect that the gross tonnage you are dealing with is fairly modest. You can do a lot with a gin pole/bracing while putting in foundation sections. Just a thought for your consideration. JEH
 
/ how do you jack up a house?? #8  
Just curious. What's a gin pole? Is it a lolly column? Is that what your refering to?

Thanks.
Mark
 
/ how do you jack up a house?? #9  
A gin pole is a single stiffleg upright supporting a hoysting block at the top for running a hoysting line thru. It is usually supported at it's base, and controlled by guy wires.

A lally column is a type of supporting colum under a stationary load, such as the jackpost under the main beam of a house.
 

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